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Class P I* ' 3 6^ 
Book ^JV3 

COPYRIGHT DKP03O1 



How to Improve the 
Memory 



By 

Edwin Gordon Lawrence 

Author of 

The Lawrence Reader and Speaker 

How to Master the Spoken Word 

etc., etc. 




CHICAGO 

A. C. McCLURG & CO. 

1913 






.L3 



Copy 2* 



Copyright 

A. C. McClurg & Co. 

1913 



Published September, 1913 



W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO 



©CI.A351718^ 



c! 
PREFACE 

IN offering this system of mem- 
ory training to the public the 
author frankly states that it is not a 
secret that is imparted for so many 
dollars, nor one that can be obtained 
without labor. It is intended to show 
how the mind can be strengthened so 
as to enable it to perceive, retain, and 
reproduce incidents that have passed ; 
how words, dates, facts, and pictures 
may be stored away in the brain and 
recalled at pleasure; how by a right 
use of the mental power memory can 
be made to perform wonderful feats. 
There is no reason why it should 
take a public speaker ten times longer 
to memorize his speech than it does 
to write it, nor is there any reason 

[7] 



Preface 

why matter once committed to mem- 
ory should speedily be forgotten. 

The author has devoted a lifetime 
to the training of orators and actors, 
and this system of memory training, 
now given for the first time to the 
public, has been the growth of years, 
and been thoroughly tested by him on 
vast numbers of students. He there- 
fore offers it to all who desire to pos- 
sess a good memory with the assur- 
ance that their wish can be gratified 
by a faithful study of these pages. 
Edwin G. Lawrence. 



[8] 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface 7 

Lesson I. Memory. 

Definition — Perception — Reten- 
tion — Reproduction — Repre- 
sentation — Recognition ... 11 

Lesson II. Attention. 

Definition — Importance — Illus- 
trations — The First Requisite 
for Good Memory — Lay Hold 
of the Thought 24 

Lesson III. Apposition. 

Meaning — How It Assists the 
Memory — How to Remember 
Names and Speeches .... 37 

Lesson IV. Opposition. 

Defined — Illustrated — Noting 
Contrasts — Importance to Un- 
derstand Meaning and Strength- 
en Memory 49 



Contents 



Page 
Lesson V. Combination. 

Meaning — Examples of Grouping 60 

Lesson VI. Sequence. 

Definition — Illustrations ... 71 

Lesson VII. How to Remember a Story. 
"A Child's Dream of a Star/' An- 
alyzed . . 83 

Lesson VIII. How to Memorize a Speech. 
Divisions — Helps — Webster's 

Great Speech 95 

Lesson IX. Paraphrasing as an Aid to 
Memory. 

Makes a Careful Reader — Trains 
Student — Emerson's " The 
American Scholar" .... 107 

Lesson X. How to Control Thought. 
Thought Defined — Its Attributes, 
Conception. Judgment, Reason- 
ing — Must be Conserved . . 120 



How to Improve the 
Memory 

LESSON I 

MEMORY 

^V\THAT is memory? 

" * Memory is the mental power 
of recognizing past knowledge. It is 
a recalling of facts, words, faces, or 
pictures that had been put aside. A 
business act has been performed and 
the facts are then stowed away in the 
recesses of the mind, but some time 
later a dispute arises concerning these 
facts and it is necessary that all the 
details of the transaction should be 
recalled ; an acquaintanceship springs 
up between two travelers, they part, 

[ii] 



How to Improve the Memory 

and do not meet again for many- 
years, but finally they come face to 
face; a gorgeous sunset is witnessed 
by one as he is journeying near the 
tropics, the sun sinks to rest and the 
picture is gone. Recalling the facts 
pertaining to the business act, remem- 
bering the face of the acquaintance, 
reproducing the picturesque sunset, 
are acts of the memory. 

How does memory act? 

It acts through several processes 
of the mind known as perception, re- 
tention, reproduction, representation, 
and recognition. 

What is meant by perception? 

By perception is meant the power 
of gaining immediate knowledge by 
means of one or more of the senses. 
We may perceive by the eye, ear, 
nose, tongue, or skin. These all act 
as means for conducting emotions to 
the brain, the brain communicates 
[12] 



Memory 

with the organs of expression, and 
they show how what is perceived acts 
upon the perceiver. 

What is meant by retention? 

In its application to memory, reten- 
tion means the power by which knowl- 
edge is kept in the mind, subcon- 
sciously, to be reproduced at will. 

What is meant by reproduction? 

Reproduction means the process of 
the. mind whereby any object, be it 
a fact, word, face, or picture, once 
known but not perceived for some 
period of time, is brought back into 
conscious use. 

What is representation? 

It is the process by which the mind 
presents to itself objects which it has 
previously known. 

What is recognition? 

By recognition is meant a second 
knowing; a re-knowing of what has 
been known before. 

[13] 



How to Improve the Memory 

We thus see that in order to have 
a good memory it is necessary for the 
mind to be healthy and vigorous so 
that it may see, retain, reproduce, 
represent, and recognize. 

PERCEPTION 

The power of perception may be 
strengthened by paying attention to 
things, noticing their peculiarities or 
distinguishing traits. Some speakers, 
for instance, arrange their speeches 
on cards 3x5 inches, placing one para- 
graph or one section of the speech on 
one card, and in memorizing the writ- 
ten matter they keep before them an 
image of the card containing the par- 
ticular matter that is on that card, 
familiarizing themselves with the ap- 
pearance of the matter on the card, 
and when they rise to speak, these 
cards pass before their mental vision 
and it is easy for them to recall the 
[14] 



Memory 



REPRODUCTION 



To be able to retain will be of little 
use unless we can at the same time 
reproduce, but if one has stamped the 
object on the brain it will be a simple 
matter to reproduce it as many times 
as the person may desire, and this 
reproduction can be continued until 
the brain wears out. In this connec- 
tion the brain is much like a phono- 
graph record : an impression is made 
on it, and it may then be reproduced 
indefinitely, the quality of the repro- 
duction and the ability to reproduce 
depending on the perfection of the 
impression and the ability of the mind 
to recognize it when reproduced. 

RECOGNITION 

The power to recognize is as essen- 
tial as the ability to reproduce, for 
unless the mind recognizes the repro- 

[17] 



How to Improve the Memory 

duction, memory will fail to act. The 
following incident will explain this 
fact: Henry W, Longfellow and 
Ralph Waldo Emerson were intimate 
friends, both living to a ripe age and 
achieving renown. Longfellow re- 
tained possession of all his faculties 
until he died, but Emerson's mind 
had lost its marvelous power some 
years previous to his physical dissolu- 
tion. On the death of Longfellow, 
Emerson's daughter conducted her 
father to where the funeral services 
over the body of his departed friend 
were being held, and as he gazed upon 
the peaceful face, encircled with its 
snow white hair, he said: "It is a 
sweet, sweet face; he was a lovely 
character;" then, turning to his 
daughter, he continued in a tone in- 
dicating that he was trying hard to 
recall whose face it was, " but I have 
forgotten his name." This showed 
[18] 






Memory 

that all the processes of memory had 
not worked — that of recognition was 
lacking — and while Emerson's mind 
perceived, retained, reproduced, and 
represented, it failed to recognize, and 
consequently he was unable to re- 
member. 

By this time the student will per- 
ceive that this system is not a hocus- 
pocus trick, a juggling of figures or 
words, but an honest setting forth of 
the means by which the mind can be 
made to see, retain, and reproduce ob- 
jects, facts, and words by the simple 
process of exercising thought. In 
order that one should have a good 
memory, it is necessary for the brain 
to do its duty, and it will be impos- 
sible for it to perform this duty unless 
it is in a healthful state. Brain power 
is essential to the health of the brain, 
and this power can only be attained 
through keeping the brain in action. 
[19] 



How to Improve the Memory 

In other words, it must be used in 
order that it may become strong, 
active, and healthy. It must be edu- 
cated, not necessarily educated in the 
sense we call schooling, but educated 
by the mental activity that observes 
tilings, studies the form, purpose, and 
effect of them, and reasons the con- 
sequences that may arise from any 
action. Men are foolish who think 
they can deaden the brain with liquor, 
stupefy it with drugs, and poison the 
system with nicotine and yet have a 
good memory. If any there be who 
have accompanied us thus far on our 
journey who think they can persist in 
dissipation and at the same time ac- 
quire a good memory, they had better 
stop right where they are and not 
hug that flattering unction to their 
souls. Note the words that Shake- 
speare puts in the mouth of Lady 
Macbeth: 

[20] 



Memory 

When Duncan is asleep 
(Whereto the rather shall his day's hard 

journey 
Soundly invite him), his two chamberlains 
Will I with wine and wassel so convince, 
That memory, the warder* of the brain, 
Shall be a fume,f and the receipt of reason 
A limbeck | only. 

— Macbeth, Act 1, Scene VII. 

By this it is not meant that men must 
neither drink nor smoke if they desire 
to possess good memories, because 
both these things may be indulged in 
with moderation without doing any 
serious harm to the mind, but it is the 
author's opinion that overindulgence 
of any kind (drinking, eating, or 
smoking) tends to weaken the mind 
and thus injure the memory. 

The means employed for strength- 

* One who wards or keeps guard. 

t Any state of mind that confuses or stupefies. 

t A still : a vessel through which distilled liquors 
pass. 

[21] 



How to Improve the Memory 

ening, developing, and controlling the 
memory are: 

1. Attention. (1) Note the location 

of figures, letters, words, phrases, 
or objects. (2) Lay hold of the 
thought. 

2. Apposition, Similarity of figures, 

words, thoughts, or objects. 

3. Opposition. Difference between 

figures, words, thoughts, or ob- 
jects. 

4. Combination. Arrangement of 

figures, words, thoughts, or ob- 
jects. 

5. Sequence. An orderly following 

in space, time, or arrangement 

of figures, words, objects, or 

thoughts. 

The student should study carefully 

the definitions and explanations given 

in this lesson as they will prepare him 

[22] 



Memory 



for grasping readily the instructions 
on Attention, which will be the sub- 
ject of the next lesson. 



[23] 



LESSON II 

ATTENTION 

A TTENTION, as here used, is a 
strong, voluntary, focused ap- 
plication of the mental powers to 
some special word, figure, object, or 
thought. The longer a mind is ca- 
pable of being concentrated on an ob- 
ject, the stronger will be that mind. 
The monkey is incapable of intelli- 
gent action for the reason that it can- 
not direct its attention to any par- 
ticular thing for any length of time; 
it no sooner starts to do one thing, 
than it stops, turns to something else 
and fails to remember what it origi- 
nally intended to do. Many human 
beings, for lack of attention, are not 
much better than monkeys. How ir- 
[24] 



Attention 



resolute, changeful, and forgetful are 
many persons. Some will start to tell 
of an occurrence, stop to mention 
some other matter, forget what they 
started to say, and then remark, 
' What was it I wanted to tell you? " 
The difference between the mind of a 
Plato and that of an ordinary being 
is simply this: a Plato possesses the 
power of continuous mental attention, 
he is capable of focusing his thought ; 
while the ordinary person cannot con- 
trol his mentality so as to concentrate 
its powers for any length of time on 
any specific object. Now then, the 
first step toward training the memory 
is to learn to pay attention. 

Consider the lines from As You 
Like It, quoted in the first lesson: 

And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running 

brooks, 
Sermons in stones, and good in erery thing. 

[25] 



How to Improve the Memory 

A moment's attention given to this 
passage will stamp it upon the mind 
so that it will never be forgotten. An 
inattentive person would notice noth- 
ing peculiar about this quotation; he 
would most likely see that it spoke of 
trees, brooks, and stones, but he would 
fail to notice the bearing that the 
words tongues, books, and sermons 
had on them. The attentive person 
would instantly grasp the fact that 
the initial letter of tongues is the 
same as that of trees, that of books 
the same as brooks, and that of ser- 
mons the same as stones, and he there- 
by immediately has transferred the 
thought of the poet to his own mind 
by means of attention, and the details 
are so thoroughly seen and under- 
stood as to make a deep impression 
on his mind and render him capable 
of reproducing the lines at any time. 
John Adams and Thomas Jeffer- 
[26] 



Attention 



son died on the same day. How many 
Americans know the date of the death 
of these two famous men? By a sim- 
ple process of reasoning, taking up 
but a moment's time, the fact can be 
placed on the tablet of the mind so 
that it can never be erased. They 
died on July 4, 1826, the semi-centen- 
nial of American independence. It 
is a simple matter to remember that 
they died on the anniversary of the 
birth of their country, thus fixing the 
day and month, and by calling the 
attention of the mind to the fact that 
the year of their death was the semi- 
centennial of their country's birth, the 
year 1826 will become closely associ- 
ated with the death of Adams and 
Jefferson. This, of course, requires 
some thought at the moment you de- 
sire to place the fact in the charge 
of memory, but after you have given 
it the necessary attention in order to 

[27] 



How to Improve the Memory 

impress it upon the mind, you need 
give it no further attention, nor be 
concerned when you have occasion to 
use it. The fact will be so well known 
that you will have no trouble in know- 
ing it again whenever you desire to 
produce it from its repository. An- 
other interesting fact of a similar 
nature is that James Monroe, fifth 
president of the United States, also 
died on the anniversary of his coun- 
try's birth. His death occurred five 
years after the death of his predeces- 
sors, and he was the fifth president 
of the United States. These facts 
will make it easy to remember that he 
departed this life in 1831. While 
these facts are so distinctive as to ren- 
der them easy to memorize, all facts 
worth remembering possess some at- 
tribute that will enable an attentive 
person to lay hold of the distinguish- 
ing trait and recall the fact at 
[28] 



Attention 



will, provided it has been sufficiently 
studied to make it known. 

At this period of our work let us 
understand that the first requisite to 
a good memory is attention. With- 
out this quality it is impossible for the 
mind to retain and reproduce what 
it has seen by the eye, ear, or any 
other sense. If one desires to remem- 
ber matter that he reads, he should 
read intently, studying all the inci- 
dents and arranging them consecu- 
tively, looking more to the thought 
that is conveyed by the words than 
to the words themselves. For in- 
stance, Horace Mann, in his address 
on education, expresses himself thus : 

From her earliest history, the policy of this 
country has been to develop the minds of all 
her people, and to imbue them with the prin- 
ciples of duty. To do this work most effectu- 
ally, she has begun with the young. If she 
would continue to mount higher and higher 
toward the summit of prosperity, she must 

[29] 



How to Improve the Memory 

continue the means by which her present ele- 
vation has been gained. In doing this, she 
will not only exercise the noblest preroga- 
tive of government, but will cooperate with 
the Almighty in one of His sublimest works. 

Now, how is one, after reading this 
passage, to be able to gather the 
thoughts so as to retain them suffi- 
ciently to enable him to repeat the 
substance of the paragraph? Simply 
by giving attention to it while reading 
it. Note that from a certain period 
it has been the policy of a special 
country to do two particular things, 
in a specific manner. That if that 
country is to continue her illustrious 
career, she must continue to make use 
of the means which have produced her 
present prosperity. In doing so, she 
will perform two important duties. 
After gathering these facts from an 
attentive perusal of the matter, they 
should be carefully arranged in a 

[30] 



Attention 



sequence so that their orderly ar- 
rangement will assist the mind in 
reproducing them. (1) From her 
earliest history, (2) the policy of this 
country (3) has been to develop the 
minds of all her people, (4) and to 
imbue them with the principles of 
duty. (5) To do this work effectu- 
ally, she has begun with the young. 
(6) If she would continue to mount 
higher and higher toward the sum- 
mit of prosperity, she must continue 
the means by which her present ele- 
vation has been gained. (7) In doing 
this, she will not only exercise the 
noblest prerogative of government, 
(8) but will cooperate with the Al- 
mighty in one of His sublimest works. 
Again, (1) earliest history, (2) pol- 
icy of country, (3) develop her peo- 
ple, (4) principles of duty, (5) be- 
gun with the young, (6) continue the 
means, (7) exercise prerogative of 
[31] 



How to Improve the Memory 

government, (8) cooperate with the 
Almighty. After the passage has 
been examined in this particular man- 
ner it will be thoroughly known and 
cannot be forgotten. 

A face can be remembered by mak- 
ing use of the same means as given 
for remembering language. When 
you desire to retain a knowledge of a 
face, examine it minutely, look for 
distinguishing marks, such as small or 
large ears, protruding or retreating 
chin, color of eyes and hair, style 
of nose, open or closed mouth, or any 
peculiarit) r or mannerism of any of 
the features. After having noted the 
characteristics of General John A. 
Logan's face, it would be impossible 
for a healthy mind to forget it. The 
long, straight hair, high cheek bones, 
Grecian nose, and piercing eye, were 
of so distinguishing a nature as to 
stamp the General's features upon an 
[32] 



Attention 



attentive mind in such a manner as to 
make his face known as long as the 
person retained his faculties. Recall 
to mind the face of Washington, of 
Lincoln, and of Grant, and think 
what special feature is most promi- 
nent or characteristic, and it will then 
be perceived why these faces are 
easily remembered. Think of the 
face of a friend, and ask yourself if it 
is not his curly hair, squinting eye, or 
pleasant smile that presents itself first 
to your mind when you recall his face. 
By these means it will be found that 
a face, if seen only for a moment, 
may be remembered for years. 

In like manner one may remember 
his pathway through a strange coun- 
try so as to find his way back to his 
starting point. Instead of noting 
peculiarities of the features of the 
face, he must note those of the coun- 
try through which he passes. He 
[33] 



How to Improve the Memory 

must note particularly any circum- 
stance at a cross road or fork in the 
trail that will enable him to turn in 
the correct direction. Sometimes a 
bush, a stone, a tuft of grass will suf- 
fice to direct the traveler on his way 
in sections where there is not a fence 
or house to mark the direction he 
should take. The author recalls an 
instance when he was journeying on 
horseback through a sparsely settled 
section in southern Florida that his 
being able to locate a cactus plant, not 
a foot in height, was the only thing 
that saved him from taking the wrong 
direction where two trails crossed, and 
going many miles out of his way. 
What fastened the remembrance of 
the cactus on his mind was the fact 
that he paused to examine it, because 
it was the first one he had seen in 
Florida, and he was surprised to see 
it growing in that section, so he dis- 
[34] 



Attention 



mounted in order to find out if it 
resembled the cacti of Arizona. As 
he gazed at the little plant, he noticed 
that it was growing close to the east 
side of the trail (he was then trav- 
eling toward the southwest) , and that 
only a short distance south from 
where the cactus was growing was 
another trail bearing to the northwest. 
On his return journey he was uncer- 
tain as to whether he should take the 
trail bearing to the northwest or the 
one to the northeast, but as soon as 
he saw the cactus over on the east 
side of the trail leading to the north- 
east, he knew that was the road for 
him to take. This proved a valuable 
lesson to him regarding the advisabil- 
ity of paying attention. 

The rule of Attention far excels in 

serviceableness any other rules that 

have ever been put forward by any 

other system of memory training, be- 

[35] 



How to Improve the Memory 

cause they apply only in special cases, 
while it applies in all cases. 

The author wishes it to be under- 
stood clearly that he desires the stu- 
dent to pay particular attention to 
the thought, this being the most im- 
portant part of memory training, and 
that placing the attention on the posi- 
tion of figures, letters, words, etc., is 
only to be done as a means to an end, 
the end being a recalling of the ob- 
ject or thought. Lay hold of the 

THOUGHT. 



[36] 



LESSON III 

APPOSITION 

qpHE AUTHOR, in his use of the 
-*■ word apposition in these les- 
sons, means the addition of one word 
or phrase or object to illustrate an- 
other. Apposition is the placing side 
by side of two or more things. With 
the aid of apposition the mind is as- 
sisted in perceiving, and as percep- 
tion is one of the principal attributes 
of memory, apposition must be a 
power in strengthening that faculty. 
By means of apposition we are 
enabled to see the similarity of 
things ; as, 

Abraham Lincoln, president of the United 
States, issued a proclamation on January 1, 
186^, freeing three million slaves. 

[37] 



How to Improve the Memory 

Abraham Lincoln and president of 
the United States are one and the 
same, and by means of apposition we 
learn that Abraham Lincoln was 
president of the United States. Pres- 
ident of the United States is added to 
Abraham Lincoln to show that at the 
time the Proclamation of Emancipa- 
tion was issued Abraham Lincoln was 
the chief executive of the United 
States. 

How does apposition assist the 
memory? 

It assists the memory in that it 
causes the mind to put forth effort 
in comparing one object to another, 
in this way intensifying the applica- 
tion and causing an impression to be 
made on the mind; as, 

My friend lives at Ridgway, which is 
located in a beautiful section of country about 
one hundred miles from the city of Buffalo. 

In order to remember the name of 
[38] 



A j) posit ion 



the place where the friend resides, it 
is only necessary to examine the word 
and associate it with two things : ridge 
and way. Think of a ridge and then 
of a way through the ridge, and the 
name Ridgway is stamped upon the 
mind. This mode of remembering is 
by means of apposition or similarity. 
Similes are aids to the memory. A 
simile is a form of comparison. It 
directs the mind to one object by 
comparing it to another ; as, 

The day is done, and the darkness 
Falls from the wings of Night, 

As a feather is wafted downward 
From an eagle in his flight.* 

— Longfellow. 

Here the poet compares the darkness 
falling over the earth to an eagle 
winging his flight, and represents how 
softly the darkness falls by compar- 
ing it to the almost imperceptible 

* The Day is Done. 

[39] 



How to Improve the Memory 

dropping of a feather from the eagle 
to the earth. The picture that the 
poet wishes to convey is the gradual 
coming on of night, and he fastens 
this point upon our minds by calling 
our attention to the fact that the 
darkness falls as slowly, gently, and 
noiselessly as does the soft, light 
feather from the bird in the air. By 
noting closely the similarity of the 
falling of darkness and the wafting 
downward of the feather, it will be 
impossible to forget that the dark- 
ness came slowly. Had the darkness 
suddenly fallen upon the earth, the 
poet would have compared it to the 
blowing out of a light, or the action 
of some quickly moving object. 

Homer, in the Iliad, in order to 
show the vast number of the Greeks, 
uses this simile: 

As the bees came forth continually in fresh 
numbers, so fresh bands of Greeks keep con- 

[40] 



Apposition 



tinually pouring forth from the ships and 
tents. 

This gives a clear and comprehensive 
idea of the number of Greeks, because 
of their being compared to bees con- 
tinually coming forth in fresh num- 
bers. We think of bees swarming 
from their hives, and this gives us a 
vivid understanding of the hordes of 
Greeks pouring from the ships and 
tents. Nothing would more clearly 
explain the number of the Greeks, 
nor impress upon our minds the fact 
that they were many, better than does 
this statement made in the form of a 
simile. 

Here is a portion of a speech which 
Shakespeare places in the mouth of 
Othello after Iago has convinced him 
of the wantonness of his wife. It is 
a passage from the thrilling drama 
which is difficult for many persons to 
memorize : 

[41] 



How to Improve the Memory 

Like to the Pontick sea, 
Whose icy current and compulsive course 
Ne'er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on 
To the Propontick, and the Hellespont; 
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent 

pace, 
Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble 

love, 
Till that a capable and wide revenge 
Swallow them up. — Now, by yon marble 

heaven, 
In the due reverence of a sacred vow 
I here engage my words.* 

What have we here to aid the mem- 
ory? Many things, after the passage 
is understood. We should be aware 
that the ancient historians stated that 
the Pontick (or Black) Sea ever 
flowed out into the Propontick (or 
Marmora) Sea, but that it never 
flowed back again to the Pontick. 
Here, then, is the means of easily 
memorizing the passage. The idea is 
of something ever going in the same 

* Othello, Act III, Scene III. 
[42] 



Apposition 



direction, and by means of the simi- 
larity of action of the Pontick Sea 
and Othello's thoughts, both ever 
flowing out but never returning, we 
get a clear understanding of Othello's 
fixed determination not to retire from 
his purpose until his object is accom- 
plished. As the Pontick ever flows 
into the Propontick, never ebbing 
back, so will his bloody thoughts of 
vengeance continue, never turning 
back to his earlier fond thoughts of 
love. Here is a clear case of apposi- 
tion, and by means of the simile the 
idea is quickly perceived, firmly im- 
pressed upon the mind, and easily 
recalled. 

Names of persons, places, and 
things are easily memorized and re- 
called by means of noting the simi- 
larity between them and others ; as, 

1. Shakespeare (Shake-speare) 

2. Blackstone (Black-stone) 

[43] 



How to Improve the Memory 

3. Portchester (Port- Chester) 

4. Williamsbridge (William's- 

bridge) 

5. Recollect (re-collect) 

6. Disease (dis-ease). 

Thus by means of thinking of the 
shaking of a spear the name of the 
great dramatist is recorded; of a 
black stone, that of the expounder 
of legal principles is deposited in the 
keeping of memory; of the Port of 
Chester, the name of the city of Port- 
chester is introduced to the mind; of 
William's bridge, that of Williams- 
bridge. By analyzing the word recol- 
lect we find that it means re-collect- 
ing, a second gathering together, a re- 
uniting of scattered things, and thus 
the word is ours for all time. In the 
same manner, disease means dis-ease, 
the prefix dis signifying apart or 
asunder, thus showing that disease 
means apart or away from ease, con- 
[44] 



Apposition 



sequently when we are ill we are away 
from ease, because to be at ease is to 
be well. In this way, which is nothing 
more than a careful examination of 
objects, the names of persons, places, 
and things can be easily perceived, 
retained, and reproduced. In other 
words, they can be remembered. 

By the same means speeches can be 
memorized; as, 

When you come to a good book, you must 
ask yourself, "Am I inclined to work as an 
Australian miner would? Are my pickaxes 
and shovels in good order, and am I in good 
trim myself — and my sleeves well up to the 
elbows, and my breath good, and my temper ?" 
And, keeping the figure a little longer, even 
at the cost of tiresomeness, for it is a thor- 
oughly useful one, the metal you are in search 
of being the author's mind or meaning, his 
words are as the rock which you have to crush 
and smelt in order to get at it. And your 
pickaxes are your own care, wit, and learn- 
ing; your smelting- furnace is your own 
thoughtful soul. Do not hope to get at any 
[45] 



How to Improve the Memory 

good author's meaning without those tools 
and that fire. Often you will need sharpest, 
finest chiselling, and patientest fusing before 
you can gather one grain of the metal. 

— John Ruskin. 

In the first place lay hold of 
the things used for illustrating the 
thought: The Australian miner as 
representing the reader ; the pickaxes 
and shovels symbolical of the working 
tools; the metal compared to the 
author's mind, his words to the rock, 
the smelting-furnace to the thought- 
ful soul. Now we are prepared to 
see the picture which the simile pro- 
duces, to grasp the thought, and to 
commit it to memory with ease. 

By means of analogy (apposition) 
facts are readily recalled ; as, 

Andrew Johnson was the only president of 
the United States whom it was ever sought 
to impeach, and he escaped impeachment by 
one vote. 

[46] 



Apposition 



The singular words "only," and 
"one," and the initial letter "A" in 
the word Andrew, are the means by 
which the facts contained in the above 
sentence can easily be remembered. 
A, in Andrew, is the first letter of 
the alphabet, only (one or first) quali- 
fying president of the United States, 
one qualifying vote, are the simple 
means whereby we may remember 
that Andrew Johnson was the only 
president of the United States whom 
it was ever sought to impeach, and 
that he escaped impeachment by the 
narrow margin of one vote. The* 
analogous facts that Andrew Johnson 
was the only president whom it was 
sought to impeach, and his escaping 
impeachment by one vote, will en- 
able a person to recall them without 
trouble, because of their similarity. 
This being another instance where 
memory is strengthened by means of 
[47] 



How to Improve the Memory 

apposition. At the same time, we 
must not lose sight of the fact that 
we should lay hold of the thought. 

We have now reached the end of 
the third lesson of the series, and the 
author urges a thorough study of 
this lesson, so that the next in or- 
der, Opposition, may be the better 
understood. 



[48] 



LESSON IV 

OPPOSITION 

"D Y opposition is meant the state of 
"*"* being opposite or opposed ; a po- 
sition, object, word, or thought con- 
fronting or opposing another; con- 
trast; as, 

Magnificent, indeed, was the material crea- 
tion, when, suddenly blazing forth in mid- 
space, the new-born sun dispelled the dark- 
ness of the ancient night. But infinitely more 
magnificent is it when the human soul rays 
forth its subtler and swifter beams, when the 
light of the senses irradiates all outward 
things, revealing the beauty of their colors 
and the exquisite symmetry of their propor- 
tions and forms; when the light of reason 
penetrates to their invisible properties and 
laws, and displays all those hidden relations 
that make up all the sciences; when the light 
of conscience illuminates the moral world, 

[49] 



How to Improve the Memory 

separating truth from error, and virtue from 
vice. 

— Horace Mann. 

Here we have a thought beautifully 
brought out by means of placing it in 
opposition with another thought. It 
is the speaker's intention to magnify 
the beauty and glory of the light of 
the soul, and in order to do this effect- 
ively, he contrasts it with the mag- 
nificence of the material light. It will 
be the simplest thing imaginable to 
commit to memory this beautiful pas- 
sage if we will but only lay hold of 
the thought, and we are enabled to lay 
hold of the thought by means of the 
contrast. Let us take it up in this 
manner: The material creation was 
beautiful when the new-born sun 
burst forth in all his splendor and 
caused the darkness to flee away. 
This is the first part of the passage 
for us attentively to notice. Then 
[50] 



Opposition 



comes the statement that beyond de- 
scription is the light that rays forth 
from an awakened and educated soul. 
Here, then, is the contrast, and this 
it is that enables us to see, retain, and 
present the idea as set forth by the 
great educator. What follows is an 
amplification of his expressed opin- 
ion that the light of the soul outshines 
the light of the sun, and a presenta- 
tion of some of his reasons for think- 
ing so. Those reasons consisting of 
the light of the senses, which enables 
us to perceive the external beauty of 
objects; the light of reason, that re- 
veals to us the hidden mysteries and 
glories of things; the light of con- 
science, that shows us the magnitude 
and the splendors of the moral world, 
permitting us to differentiate between 
good and evil, right and wrong. A 
careful scrutiny of this sublime pas- 
sage will reveal the contrasting of the 
[51] 



How to Improve the Memory 

two lights, and as soon as this is per- 
ceived the thought is grasped and the 
matter easily memorized. Opposi- 
tion, or contrast, is a valuable adjunct 
to memory. 

By means of contrast, the beauties 
of nature, as well as the beauties of 
thought, are perceived. This fact was 
once impressed upon the author's 
mind by a personal experience. While 
visiting in the southland, he had many 
occasions to ride out into the country, 
and on one of these outings he passed 
through a section of level, sandy land, 
almost devoid of vegetation and un- 
marked* for miles by sign of human 
habitation. To the right, some miles 
distant, stretched a large growth of 
tall pines, green with the vigor of life 
and magnified in size through being 
reflected upon the heavens beyond. 
Suddenly darkness spread over and 
around the towering pines, which ap- 
[52] 



Opposition 



peared still taller because of the 
increased magnifying power of the 
light which shone from the sun, which 
was still shining in all his splendor at 
the spot where the traveler halted to 
gaze upon the picture. Rain began 
to fall beyond the stretch of trees, the 
rain clouds approached nearer and 
nearer, until they hung in the sky 
between the traveler and the towering 
spires. The sun, then forty-five de- 
grees below the meridian, and slowly 
sinking to the west, was radiant in all 
his splendor. Then appeared one of 
the miracles of nature, a bow upon 
the face of Heaven. It was of im- 
mense proportions, spanning one- 
third of the sky, but what made it 
most impressive was that it shone 
above the dark green of the pines, and 
against the blackness of the clouds. 
The effect was so striking and spir- 
itual that it seemed as though the 
[53] 



How to Improve the Memory 

Almighty had traced a message upon 
the firmament, and it so affected the 
traveler that he removed his cap as 
though in the immediate presence of 
the Most High, bowed his head in 
harmony with his soul, and wor- 
shiped the Creator through the mag- 
nitude of His work. What was it 
that made the picture so impressive? 
Contrast. The placing of the many- 
colored bow over and against the 
darkness of the trees and the black- 
ness of the clouds had brought out 
and magnified its hues until every 
detail was plainly discerned and the 
picture in its entirety made fully 
manifest. 

Thieves endeavor to live without work, 
honest men are willing to labor for a living. 

Here is a clear case of opposition, 

as the two classes, thieves and honest 

men, are contrasted, and their two 

modes of gaining a livelihood, without 

[54] 



Opposition 



work or by labor, are placed in direct 
opposition. Apply the rule of con- 
trast to the following: 

Good name, in man and woman, dear my lord, 
Is the immediate jewel of their souls: 
Who steals my purse, steals trash, 'tis some- 
thing, nothing — 
*T was mine, 't is his, and has been slave 

to thousands: 
But he that filches from me my good name, 
Robs me of that which not enriches him, 
And makes me poor indeed.* 

— Shakespeare. 

This passage may easily be memor- 
ized by means of noting the contrasts. 
In the first place, it is stated that a 
good name is the most valuable gem 
that either a man or a woman can 
possess; here we have the contrast 
between man and woman. Then, it is 
said that in stealing a purse, the thief 
steals trash, but in stealing a good 
name, he takes what is of inestimable 

* Othello, Act III, Scene III. 
[55] 



How to Improve the Memory 

value to the robbed, but utterly value- 
less to the robber. The third contrast 
is between something and nothing; 
and the fourth, between mine, and his 
and others. Let the student examine 
this passage carefully, mentally lay- 
ing hold of the contrasts, and it will 
be found that the lines can be memor- 
ized without any difficulty and easily 
recalled to memory. 

The French Revolution was undertaken 
by men and women who had been held in 
subjugation for centuries and who knew lit- 
tle of the science of government; therefore 
it failed. The American Revolution was 
launched by men whose ancestors had fought 
for centuries under such leaders as Hampden 
and Cromwell for the right of self-govern- 
ment, and these men had commenced to prac- 
tice the science of government from the plant- 
ing of the Colony of Jamestown in 1607, 
where the first legislative assembly in Amer- 
ica convened,* and for these reasons it 
succeeded. — Lawrence. 

* June 30, 1619. 

[56] 



Opposition 



Here is a clear case of opposition — 
contrasting the reason for the failure 
of the French Revolution and the rea- 
son for the success of the American 
Revolution — and this important fact 
may be recorded in the mind by- 
noting the absence of experience in 
the one instance and the presence of 
it in the other. 

The political principles of Thomas Jeffer- 
son differ from those expounded by Alex- 
ander Hamilton. The former believed in a 
nation composed of sovereign states; while 
the latter favored a strong centralized gov- 
ernment that should have general supervision 
over the states composing it. 

— Lawrence. 

No two men, living at the same 
period and in the same country, en- 
gaged in the same pursuits, and both 
working for the same object, the good 
of their country, ever differed to a 
greater extent in their physical, men- 
[57] 



How to Improve the Memory 

tal, and spiritual natures than did 
Jefferson and Hamilton. By keep- 
ing in mind the fact that they were 
opposed to each other in all things, it 
will require no effort of the mind to 
recall that the political principles of 
the one were not entertained by the 
other. 

By means of contrast, the differ- 
ences between things of like natures 
may be perceived, such as between 
men, buildings, and works of nature, 
their peculiarities noted, and their 
images implanted on the mind. Ora- 
torically, there is no better way than 
that of opposition for making the 
meaning clear and definite, or for 
driving the thought home; and when 
it comes to strengthening the mem- 
ory, it will be found that the applica- 
tion of the law of contrast will prove 
of great assistance. 

It is believed that the examples 
[58] 



Opposition 



cited in this lesson have made mani- 
fest the force of opposition, and it is 
urged that they be diligently studied 
by the student before he passes on to 
the next lesson. These lessons form 
a natural sequence, one helping the 
other, and if the student is to gain the 
desired help from this course in mem- 
ory training, he must master the les- 
sons in the order in which they are 
arranged. This is the fourth lesson 
of the course, and before taking up 
the fifth, all the preceding ones should 
be thoroughly mastered. Attention, 
remember, is one of the essentials to 
memory, so apply it in this instance 
and hearken to the advice of your 
instructor. Get to the soul of matter 
by laying hold of the thought. 



[59] 



LESSON V 

COMBINATION 

F N using the word combination it is 
meant to express the idea of a 
conjunction of objects, words, or 
thoughts kindred in their nature or 
form; a group of things closely con- 
nected; as, 

Nature is an endless combination and repe- 
tition of a very few laws. 

— Emerson. 

The laws of nature are few, but their 
combinations are many, and because 
of the many combinations of the few 
laws of nature these laws seem mani- 
fold. 

There is a group of six poets who 
have shed luster upon American lit^ 
erature. These men are, William 
[60] 



Combination 



Cullen Bryant, born November 3, 
1794; Henry Wadsworth Longfel- 
low, February 27, 1807; John Green- 
leaf Whittier, December 17, 1807; 
Edgar Allan Poe, February 19, 
1809; Oliver Wendell Holmes, Au- 
gust 29, 1809; James Russell Lowell, 
February 22, 1819. Here we have a 
group of six: Bryant, Longfellow, 
Whittier, Poe, Holmes, and Lowell, 
arranged in the order of their birth. 
It will be noted that they all were 
born within a period of fifteen years ; 
all but one (Bryant) within the nine- 
teenth century; all but two (Bryant 
and Lowell) within the first decade 
of that century; all but one (Poe) 
lived into the second half of the nine- 
teenth century, and he missed doing 
so by less than three months; all but 
one (Holmes) were born during the 
cold season of the year; all but one 
(Bryant) was born during the last 
[61] 



How to Improve the Memory 

half of the month; all but one 
(Lowell) were born on odd days; all 
but one (Bryant) were born in odd 
years. Thus it will be seen that all 
these facts agree in every combination 
except one in every case except once, 
thus the one runs through the entire 
list of combinations and even enters 
into the exception. By grouping the 
poets in this manner, all the facts per- 
taining to the days, months, and years 
of their birth are brought promi- 
nently forward, and the knowledge 
can be easily memorized and readily 
recalled. This is done by means of 
combinations of similar things. Be 
sure to study thoughtfully, lay hold 
of all the similarities in the birth of 
the members of this group, and do 
not aim to memorize the facts in con- 
nection with the births merely by 
committing certain figures and letters 
to memory. 

[62] 



Combination 



Five vice-presidents of the United 
States became presidents through the 
death of the chief magistrate while in 
office. The names of these men are: 
John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, An- 
drew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, 
and Theodore Roosevelt. They suc- 
ceeded William Henry Harrison, 
Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, 
James A. Garfield, and William Mc- 
Kinley. In the first place, make two 
groups of the five presidents who died 
in office, placing William Henry 
Harrison and Zachary Taylor in one 
group, and Abraham Lincoln, James 
A. Garfield, and William McKinley 
in another. Harrison and Taylor 
died natural deaths; Lincoln, Gar- 
field, and McKinley died at the hands 
of assassins. In this way we stamp 
upon our minds the names of the 
presidents who died in office. John 
Tyler is closely connected with Wil- 
[63] 



How to Improve the Memory 

liam Henry Harrison by the cam- 
paign slogan " Tippecanoe and Tyler 
too," Tippecanoe being the name 
given to Harrison by his followers 
because of his victory over the In- 
dians at the battle of Tippecanoe, and 
Tyler was the candidate on the Har- 
rison ticket for vice-president. Thus 
we find aids to remember that Tyler 
succeeded Harrison. Zachary Taylor 
was the hero of the Mexican war, and 
Millard Fillmore was elected vice- 
president on the same ticket, there- 
fore, on the death of Taylor, Fillmore 
became president. This disposes of 
the first group of presidents who died 
in office. The second group, com- 
posed of those who were assassinated, 
commences with Lincoln, the emanci- 
pator. Lincoln was the first Ameri- 
can president to be assassinated and 
he was succeeded by Andrew John- 
son, the first president whom it was 
[64] 



Combination 



sought to impeach, therefore by 
means of similarity Lincoln, the first 
to be assassinated, and Johnson, the 
first whom it was sought to impeach, 
are linked together in our memory. 
Garfield and McKinley are the other 
two members of the second group, 
and they were killed in like manner as 
Lincoln, by pistol bullet. Arthur, 
like Johnson, Fillmore, and Taylor, 
was refused a nomination for the 
presidency, while Theodore Roosevelt 
was nominated and elected, being the 
only vice-president of the United 
States to be elected president after 
succeeding to the presidency on the 
death of the president. The one way 
to remember the vice-presidents who 
became presidents on account of the 
death of their predecessors while in 
office is by way of the grouping, and 
the other incidents are merely men- 
tioned as aids to the principal means. 
[65] 



How to Improve the Memory 

Be particular to lay hold of the facts, 
rivet the attention to the thought, 
using the plan of combination merely 
as a means to an end. 

Many examples of grouping can 
easily be supplied by the student; 
such as, the New England states: 
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, 
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and 
Connecticut. It is an easy matter to 
locate these states by placing them in 
a group and thus associating them 
with one another. In like manner, 
the middle states, the southern states, 
etc., may all be easily memorized by 
this simple process, as may also any 
facts, words, objects, or thoughts. 

Take the statesmen who welded to- 
gether the widely scattered opposition 
to the policy of Great Britain toward 
her American colonies in the last half 
of the eighteenth century, James 
Otis, Samuel Adams, Benjamin 
[66] 



Combination 



Franklin, Patrick Henry, Richard 
Henry Lee, and Thomas Jefferson, 
and it will be seen at a glance that the 
group can easily be divided into two 
groups, those from the colony of 
Massachusetts and those from the 
colony of Virginia, . and while there 
were many other patriots of that 
period who did much toward bringing 
about American freedom, these six 
men were the prime movers in the 
events that led to the Declaration of 
Independence. 

Let us form another group made 
up of the men who did most toward 
upholding the declaration that " these 
states are, and of right ought to be, 
free and independent states," and we 
have Washington, Hamilton, John 
Adams, Robert Morris, LaFayette, 
and others. Now form a group of 
those men who shaped the opinions of 
the masses previous to the Civil War, 

[67] 



How to Improve the Memory 

men such as Daniel Webster, Henry 
Clay, Wendell Phillips, Robert Y. 
Hayne, John C. Calhoun, and Ste- 
phen A. Douglas. Form one com- 
posed of the men who took different 
sides on the questions that brought 
about the war between the states and 
who fought to uphold their views dur- 
ing the war, and instantly the names 
of Lincoln, Grant, Davis, and Lee 
present themselves to the mind. Thus 
it will be seen that while these groups 
help one to remember the part played 
by each individual, the time of his 
career, the side he espoused, etc., it is 
absolutely essential that the informa- 
tion regarding the actors and the 
events must be obtained before the 
groups can be formed. This is analo- 
gous to the necessity of getting hold of 
the idea, laying hold of the thought, 
before attempting to memorize mat- 
ter, and by the same processes of the 
[68] 



Combination 



brain will the mind lay hold of events 
in history as it grasps the ideas in a 
speech. The secret of remembering 
is that the thing must be known in all 
its phases before it is put away in the 
custody of the mind, where it is to 
repose until memory recalls it to ac- 
tivity ; therefore, if we would remem- 
ber the order of the succession of the 
presidents, the events leading up to 
the Revolutionary War, the poets, 
statesmen, or warriors of any period, 
w r e must learn the facts in connection 
with them. This once more brings us 
to the necessity of thoroughly seeing 
and understanding the soul, or the 
meaning, of a passage or a speech, 
the deeds of men, the productions of 
writers, the policies of statesmen, the 
formation and location of objects, 
before we can know them sufficiently 
well to remember them at will. It is 
useless to learn things by rote, to 
[69] 



How to Improve the Memory 

memorize parrot fashion, because too 
great an amount of labor is entailed 
in such a process of learning, and the 
knowledge so secured cannot long be 
retained. Memorize by facts, by 
thoroughly knowing events, men, or 
things; grasp the meaning of words; 
seek for the thought, the idea, the soul 
of the written or spoken matter ; and 
after the facts are understood, the 
events, men, or things comprehended, 
the meaning of words perceived, and 
the thought grasped, they may be de- 
posited in the chambers of the mem- 
ory with the assurance that they will 
slumber there until they are needed, 
and that whenever they are sum- 
moned they will instantly report for 
duty. 



[70] 



LESSON VI 

SEQUENCE 

CEQUENCE means a coming 
^ after, a following in order as re- 
gards space, time, or thought ; as, 

We come, as Americans, to mark a spot 
which must forever be dear to us and our 
posterity. We wish that, whosoever in all 
coming time, shall turn his eye hither, may 
behold that the place is not undistinguished 
where the first great battle of the Revolution 
was fought. We wish that this structure may 
proclaim the magnitude and importance of 
that event to every class and every age. We 
wish that infancy may learn the purpose of 
its erection from maternal lips, and that 
weary and withered age may behold it, and 
be solaced by the recollections which it sug- 
gests. We wish that labor may look up here, 
and be proud in the midst of its toil. We 
wish that, in those days of disaster, which, 

[71] 



How to Improve the Memory 

as they come upon all nations must be ex- 
pected to come upon us also, desponding 
patriotism may turn its eye hitherward, and 
be assured that the foundations of our na- 
tional power still stand strong. We wish 
that this column, rising toward heaven among 
the pointed spires of so many temples dedi- 
cated to God, may contribute also to produce, 
in all minds, a pious feeling of dependence 
and gratitude. We wish, finally, that the 
last object on the sight of him who leaves 
his native shore, and the first to gladden him 
who revisits it, may be something which may 
remind him of the liberty and the glory of 
his country. Let it rise, till it reach the 
sun in his coming; let the earliest light of 
the morning gild it, and parting day linger 
and play on its summit.* 

— Daniel Webster. 

Here we have a beautiful sequence of 
thoughts, one following the other in a 
natural and effective manner. Let us 
examine this extract from one of the 



* From the Bunker Hill Monument Address, de- 
livered June 17, 1825, at Charlestown, Mass. 



[72] 



Sequence 

master addresses of modern times and 
find out, thereby, how to memorize it. 
We will first call attention to the 
arrangement: (1) We come, as 
Americans, to mark a spot which 
must forever be dear to us and our 
posterity. ( 2 ) We wish that whoso- 
ever, in all coming time, shall turn his 
eye hither, may behold that the place 
is not undistinguished where the first 
great battle of the Revolution was 
fought. (3) We wish that this struc- 
ture may proclaim the magnitude and 
importance of that event to every class 
and every age. (4) We wish that 
infancy may learn the purpose of its 
erection from maternal lips, and that 
weary and withered age may behold 
it, and be solaced by the recollections 
which it suggests. ( 5 ) We wish that 
labor may look up here, and be proud 
in the midst of its toil. ( 6 ) We wish 
that in those days of disaster, which, 
[73] 



How to Improve the Memory 

as they come upon all nations, must 
be expected to come upon us also, de- 
sponding patriotism may turn its eye 
hitherward, and be assured that the 
foundations of our national power 
still stand strong. (7) We wish that 
this column, rising toward heaven 
among the pointed spires of so many 
temples dedicated to God, may con- 
tribute also to produce, in all minds, 
a pious feeling of dependence and 
gratitude. (8) We wish, finally, 
that the last object on the sight of 
him who leaves his native shore, and 
the first to gladden his who revisits it, 
may be something which may remind 
him of the liberty and the glory of his 
country. (9) Let it rise, till it meet 
the sun in his coming ; let the earliest 
light of the morning gild it, and part- 
ing day linger and play on its summit. 
Now scrutinize it still closer by dig- 
ging deeper to the thought : ( 1 ) As 

[74] 



Sequence 

Americans, we come to mark a spot. 
(2) May all who behold that spot 
note that it is distinguished. (3) 
May the monument proclaim the im- 
portance of the event it commemo- 
rates. (4) May infancy learn from it 
the love of country. ( 5 ) May it speak 
to labor. (6) May it strengthen pa- 
triotism. (7) May it prove an in- 
spiration to religion. (8) May it bid 
adieu to the departing citizen and 
welcome the comer home. (9) Let it 
rise forever. 

Note the sequence of events and 
hopes : ( 1 ) Marking the spot. ( 2 ) 
The distinguishing of the spot. (3) 
Proclaiming the magnitude of the 
event it commemorates. (4) A lesson 
for infancy. (5) Encouragement to 
labor. (6) A stimulant for patriot- 
ism. (7) An aid to religion. (8) A 
symbol to the patriot. (9) May it be 
everlasting. Thus, by dismissing the 

[75] 



How to Improve the Memory 

words and arranging the thoughts in 
a sequence, the ideas are made plain 
to the understanding and the task of 
remembering made easy. 

A sequence is a succession of events 
mentioned in the order of their occur- 
rence; as, 

I cannot sit tamely by, in humble, acqui- 
escent silence, when reflections, which I know 
to be unjust, are cast on the faith and honor 
of Massachusetts. Had I suffered them to 
pass without admonition, I should have 
deemed that the disembodied spirits of her 
departed children, from their ashes mingled 
with the dust of every stricken field of the 
Revolution, from their bones mouldering to 
the consecrated earth of Bunker Hill,* of 
Saratoga, f of Monmouth,! would stand up 
in visible shape, before me, to cry shame on 
me, their recreant countryman. 

— Caleb Cushing. 

The three battles of the Revolution- 
ary War, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, 

* Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. 
t Battle of Saratoga, Oct. 7, 1777. 
J Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778. 

[76] 



Sequence 



and Monmouth, are here mentioned 
in the order of their occurrence, and 
anyone versed in the history of the 
War for Independence would readily 
note this fact, and, having once noted 
it, would have no trouble in remem- 
bering the order in which they are 
used in the speech. It would be in- 
correct for a speaker to quote these 
battles except in the form of a se- 
quence, a succession of events in the 
order of their occurrence, unless he 
desired to place them in the order of 
their importance, and then he would 
denote which he believed to be the 
most important by moving from the 
lesser to the greater. If he considered 
Saratoga to be the most important of 
the three engagements, he should 
say: From the fields of Monmouth, 
Bunker Hill, and Saratoga, etc. The 
Irish orator, Richard L. Sheil, in a 
speech delivered in the British House 

[77] 



How to Improve the Memory 

of Commons, devoted to showing that 
the English victories on many a field 
of battle were due to the valor of the 
Irish soldier, arranged his sequence 
in this manner: " The blood of Eng- 
land, Scotland, and of Ireland flowed 
in the same stream and drenched the 
same field," thus making Ireland the 
most prominent member of the series. 
Had an Englishman been speaking, 
and had he desired to emphasize the 
valor of his countrymen, he would 
have said: The blood of Ireland, 
Scotland, and England flowed in the 
same stream and drenched the same 
field. This rule of sequence applies 
to objects, events, or thoughts, and a 
careful study of it will help not only 
the memory but the writer and 
speaker as well. 

In discussing the methods of ora- 
tors, and you mention them by name, 
you should adopt some method in 
[78] 



Sequence 



doing so, either mentioning them in 
the order of their birth or in the order 
in which you esteem them ; as, 

Oratory, in all essential particulars, is the 
same today as it was in the times of Pericles, 
Demosthenes, and Cicero. True, the style of 
delivery as pertains both to voice and action, 
has been modified or affected by outside influ- 
ences, but in its material qualities it has not 
changed. — Lawrence. 

Here the orators are mentioned 
according to the era in which they 
flourished. If the author cited them 
in accordance with his estimation of 
their known qualities as orators, he 
would say: "Oratory flourished in 
the persons of Pericles, Cicero, and 
Demosthenes," Thus, you see, even 
in the arrangement of sequences, 
thought is the all-important element 
with which we have to deal, and unless 
we lay hold of the thought no outside 
aids will ever enable us to obtain good 
memories. 

[79] 



How to Improve the Memory 

The temptation of Christ, as told 
in the Gospel According to St. Mat- 
thew, Chapter IV, is a magnificent 
example of sequence : 

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into 
the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 

And when he had fasted forty days and 
forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 
And when the tempter came to him, he said, 
If thou be the Son of God, command that 
these stones be made bread. But he answered 
and said, It is written, Man shall not live 
by bread alone, but by every word that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy 
city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the 
temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the 
Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is 
written, He shall give his angels charge con- 
cerning thee: and in their hands they shall 
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy 
foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, 
It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt 
the Lord thy God. 

Again, the devil taketh him up into an 
exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him 

[80] 



Sequence 



all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory 
of them; and saith unto him, All these things 
will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and 
worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get 
thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou 
shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him 
only shalt thou serve. 

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, 
angels came and ministered unto him. 

The narrative starts with the state- 
ment that Jesus was led into the wil- 
derness to be tempted ; it then goes on 
to say that after fasting for forty 
days and forty nights he hungered, 
that the devil then suggested that he 
convert the stones into bread and 
satisfy his hunger. This he refuses 
to do. The devil then takes him up 
into the holy city, placing him upon 
the very pinnacle of the temple, and 
urges him to cast himself down in 
order to demonstrate that he is the 
Son of God. This also he refuses to 
do. Next the devil takes him to the 
[81] 



How to Improve the Memory 

top of a high mountain and promises 
to give him all that he beholds if he 
will adore him. This he rejects, turns 
upon the devil and orders him away. 
The devil departs, $nd angels come 
and minister unto Jesus. 

Here is the sequence: (1) The 
going of Jesus into the wilderness to 
be tempted. ( 2 ) He hungered. ( 3 ) 
The arrival of the devil. (4) The 
first temptation. (5) The rejection. 
(6) The second temptation. (7) The 
rejection. (8) The third temptation. 
(9) The rejection. (10) The depart- 
ure of the devil. (11) The coming of 
the angels. 

Lay hold of the thought, get the 
facts in a sequence, and this entire 
narrative is easily learned and re- 
membered. 



[82] 



CHAPTER VII 
HOW TO REMEMBER A STORY 

TT/"HILE reading Charles Dick- 
ens' pathetic and touching 
story, A Child's Dream of a Star, 
look closely at the framework. You 
will then perceive that the story is 
arranged in the form of a play, being 
divided into scenes. The first scene 
tells of the two children; the second, 
of the death of the little girl and the 
entrance of her spirit into the star; 
the third, of the death of the newly 
born babe and his going to the star; 
the fourth, of the death of the mother 
and her reunion with her children in 
the star ; the fifth, of the passing from 
earth into the star of the maiden 
daughter; the sixth, of the death of 
[83] 



How to Improve the Memory 

the once boy, now gray-haired old 
man, and of his spiritual meeting with 
his loved ones who had preceded him 
to the star. This is the bare outline 
of a simple story that is filled with 
thoughts, but if the reader will retain 
this outline in mind he will experience 
no difficulty in remembering the 
story. Arrange it in this manner: 
Framework — (1) A little boy and 
his sister. (2) The sister dies, and 
her brother dreams that she becomes 
an angel and makes her abode in a 
star they both had loved. (3) A baby 
brother is born to the little boy, it dies, 
and is received into the star. (4) 
The boy grows to be a young man, 
his mother dies and joins her children 
in the star. (5) The boy has become 
a middle-aged man, has married, is 
blessed with a daughter, she dies in 
early womanhood and is welcomed 
into the star. (6) The boy has 
[84] 



How to Remember a Story 

reached the final stage of life; he is 
an old man, sinking into second child- 
hood. He dies, and his spirit is car- 
ried on the rays of light that come 
from the star up to those whom he 
had loved on earth. 

A Child's Dream of a Star 

CHARLES DICKENS 

Scene I. (a) There was once a 
child, (b) and he strolled about a 
good deal, (c) and thought of a num- 
ber of things, (d) He had a sister, 
(e) who was a child too, (f) and his 
constant companion, (g) They won- 
dered at the beauty of the flowers; 
(h) they wondered at the height and 
blueness of the sky; (i) they won- 
dered at the depth of the bright 
water; (j) they wondered at the 
goodness and the power of God who 
made the lovely world. 

(k) They used to say to one an- 
[85] 



How to Improve the Memory 

other, sometimes: Supposing all the 
children upon earth were to die, 
would the flowers, and the water, and 
the sky, be sorry? (1) They believed 
they would be sorry, (m) For, said 
they, the buds are the children of the 
flowers, and the little playful streams 
that gambol down the hillsides are the 
children of the water; and the small- 
est bright specks playing at hide and 
seek in the sky all night must surely 
be the children of the stars; (n) and 
they would all be grieved to see their 
playmates, the children of men, no 
more. 

(o) There was one clear, shining 
star that used to come out in the sky 
before the rest, near the church spire, 
above the graves, (p) It was larger 
and more beautiful, they thought, 
than all the others, and every night 
they watched for it, standing hand in 
hand at the window, (q) Whoever 
[86] 



How to Remember a Story 

saw it first cried out, " I see the star ! " 
(r) and often they cried out both to- 
gether, knowing so well when it would 
rise, and where, (s) So they grew to 
be such friends with it that, before 
lying dow r n in their beds, they always 
looked out once again, to bid it good 
night; (t) and when they were turn- 
ing round to sleep, they used to say, 
"God bless the star!" 

Scene II. (a) But while she was 
still very young, oh very, very young, 
the sister drooped and came to be so 
very weak that she could no longer 
stand in the window at night ; (b) and 
then the child looked sadly out by 
himself, and when he saw the star, 
turned round and said to the patient 
face on the bed, " I see the star ! " (c) 
and then a smile would come upon 
the face, and a little weak voice used 
to say, "God bless my brother and 
the star!" 

[87] 



How to Improve the Memory 

(d) And so the time came, all too 
soon, when the child looked out alone, 
and when there was no face on the 
bed; (e) and when there was a little 
grave among the graves, not there be- 
fore ; (f ) and then the star made long 
rays down towards him, as he saw it 
through his tears. 

(g) Now, these rays were so bright, 
and they seemed to make such a shin- 
ing way from earth to heaven, that 
when the child went to his solitary 
bed he dreamed about the star; (h) 
and dreamed that, lying where he 
was, he saw a train of people taken 
up that sparkling road by angels, 
(i) And the star, opening, showed 
him a great world of light, where 
many more such angels waited to re- 
ceive them. 

(j) All these angels, who were 
waiting, turned their beaming eyes 
upon the people who were carried up 
[88] 



How to Remember a Story 

into the star; (k) and some came out 
from the long rows in which they 
stood, and fell upon the people's 
necks, and kissed them tenderly, and 
went away with them down avenues 
of light, and were so happy in their 
company that, lying in his bed, he 
wept for joy. 

(1) But there were many angels 
who did not go with them, and among 
them one he knew. The patient face 
that once had lain upon the bed was 
glorified and radiant, but his heart 
found out his sister among all the 
host. 

(m) His sister's angel lingered 
near the entrance of the star, and said 
to the leader among those who had 
brought the people thither : 

(n) " Is my brother come? " 

(o) And he said, "No." 

(p) She was turning hopefully 
away, when the child stretched out his 
[89] 



How to Improve the Memory 

arms, and cried, "Oh, sister, I am 
here! Take me!" (q) and then she 
turned her beaming eyes upon him, 
and it was night; and the star was 
shining in the room, making long rays 
down towards him as he saw it 
through his tears. 

(r) From that hour forth, the 
child looked out upon the star as on 
the home he was to go to, when his 
time should come ; (s) and he thought 
that he did not belong to the earth 
alone, but to the star too, (t) because 
of his sister's angel gone before. 

Scene III. ( a ) There was a baby 
born to be a brother to the child; (b) 
and while he was so little that he 
never yet had spoken a word, he 
stretched his tiny form out on his bed 
and died. 

(c) Again the child dreamed of 
the open star, and of the company of 
angels, and the train of people, and 
[90] 



How to Remember a Story 

the rows of angels with their beaming 
eyes all turned upon those people's 
faces. 

(d) Said his sister's angel to the 
leader : 

" Is my brother come? " 

(e) And he said, "Xot that one, 
but another." 

(f) As the child beheld his 
brother's angel in her arms, he cried, 
"O, sister, I am here! Take me!" 
(g) And she turned and smiled upon 
him, and the star was shining. 

Scene IV. (a) He grew to be a 
young man, and was busy at his books 
when an old servant came to him and 
said: 

(b) "Thy mother is no more. I 
bring her blessing on her darling 
boy!" 

(c) Again at night he saw the star, 
and all that former company, (d) 
Said his sister's angel to the leader: 

[91] 



How to Improve the Memory 

"Is my brother come?" 

(d) And he said, "Thy mother!" 

(e) A mighty cry of joy went 
forth through all the star, because the 
mother was re-united to her two chil- 
dren, (f) And he stretched out his 
arms and cried, "O, mother, sister, 
and brother, I am here! Take me!" 

( g ) And they answered him, ' ' Not 
yet," and the star was shining. 

Scene V. (a) He grew to be a 
man, whose hair was turning gray, 
and he was sitting in his chair by his 
fireside, heavy with grief, and with 
his face bedewed with tears, (b) when 
the star opened once again. 

(c) Said his sister's angel to the 
leader : 

"Is my brother come?" 

(d) And he said, "Nay, but his 
maiden daughter." 

(e) And the man who had been 
the child saw his daughter, newly lost 

[92] 



How to Remember a Story 

to him, a celestial creature among 
those three, (f) and he said, "My 
daughter's head is on my sister's 
bosom, and her arm is around my 
mother's neck, and at her feet is the 
baby of old time, (g) and I can bear 
the parting from her, (h) God be 
praised!" 

And the star was shining. 

Scene VI. (a) Thus the child 
came to be an old man, and his once 
smooth face was wrinkled, and his 
steps were slow and feeble, and his 
back was bent, (b) And one night 
as he lay upon his bed, (c) his chil- 
dren standing round, (d) he cried, as 
he had cried long ago : 

"I seethe star!" 

(e) They whispered one another, 
" He is dying." 

(f ) And he said, " I am. (g) My 
age is falling from me like a garment, 
and I move towards the star as a 

[93] 



How to Improve the Memory 

child, (h) And O, my Father, now I 
thank thee that it has so often opened, 
to receive those dear ones who await 
me!" 

(i) And the star was shining: and 
it shines upon his grave. 

By searching for the framework 
(Attention), and arranging the 
thoughts in their proper order (Se- 
quence), we are enabled to hold in 
mind all the incidents of this story 
and to narrate the details whenever 
we desire. It will thus be seen that 
we once more confront the fact that it 
is absolutely essential for us to lay 
hold of the thought, see the picture, 
and understand the problem before 
we are able to express, describe, or 
explain them. 



[94] 



LESSON VIII 
HOW TO MEMORIZE A SPEECH 

I"N memorizing a speech, we rely 
■*■ on the same helps as those used in 
remembering a story, except that in- 
stead of dividing it into scenes we 
arrange it into its three divisions 
(opening, body, and conclusion) , and 
besides these helps we call into use 
Apposition, Opposition, Combina- 
tion, and Sequence. 

The example here used is an ex- 
tract from the great speech delivered 
by Daniel Webster in the celebrated 
White murder case, when he ap- 
peared as special counsel in behalf of 
the state. 

The opening of the speech ends 
with " so many ounces of blood " ; 
that of the body, with "the secret is 
[95] 



How to Improve the Memory 

his own and is safe " ; the conclusion, 
with the close of the speech. 

These three grand divisions are 
subdivided as follows : 

(1) Opening: (a) Why the advo- 
cate has undertaken to assist the 
prosecution, (b) Definition of the 
case. 

(2) Body: (a) Description of the 
victim, (b) how the assassin entered 
the house, (c) how he reached his vic- 
tim, (d) the location of the room and 
the victim, (e) The murder, (f) the 
retreat of the assassin, (g) his 
thoughts. 

(3) Conclusion: (a) Exposing the 
delusion of the murderer, (b) descrip- 
tion of his torture, (c) "murder will 
out." 

Crime Its Own Detector 

DANIEL WEBSTER 

(1) (a) Against the prisoner at 
the bar, as an individual, I cannot 
[96] 



How to Memorize a Speech 

have the slightest prejudice; I would 
not do him the smallest injury or in- 
justice, (b) But I do not affect to be 
indifferent to the discovery and the 
punishment of this deep guilt, (c) I 
cheerfully share in the opprobrium, 
how much soever it may be, which is 
cast on those who feel and manifest 
an anxious concern that all who had a 
part in planning, or hand in execut- 
ing, this deed of midnight assassina- 
tion, may be brought to answer for 
their enormous crime at the bar of 
public justice. 

(d) Gentlemen, this is a most ex- 
traordinary case. In some respects it 
has hardly a precedent anywhere — 
certainly none in our New England 
history, (e) This bloody drama ex- 
hibited no suddenly excited, ungov- 
ernable rage. The actors in it were 
not surprised by any lion-like tempta- 
tion springing upon their virtue, and 

[97] 



How to Improve the Memory 

overcoming it, before resistance could 
begin. Nor did they do the deed to 
glut savage vengeance, or satiate 
long-settled and deadly hate, (f ) It 
was a cool, calculating, money-mak- 
ing murder. It was all "hire and 
salary, not revenge." It was the 
weighing of money against life, the 
counting out of so many pieces of sil- 
ver against so many ounces of blood. 
(2) (a) An aged man, without an 
enemy in the world, in his own house, 
and in his own bed, is made the victim 
of a butcherly murder, for mere pay. 
The deed was executed with a degree 
of self-possession and steadiness equal 
to the wickedness with which it was 
planned. Deep sleep had fallen on 
the destined victim, and on all beneath 
his roof. A healthful old man, to 
whom sleep was sweet, the first sound 
slumbers held him in their soft but 
strong embrace, (b) The assassin 
[98] 



Hotc to Memorize a Speech 

enters through the window, already 
prepared, into an unoccupied apart- 
ment, (c) With noiseless foot he 
paces the lonely hall, half -lighted by 
the moon — he winds up the ascent of 
stairs, and reaches the door of the 
chamber. Of this he moves the lock, 
by soft and continued pressure, till it 
turns on its hinges without noise ; and 
he enters, and beholds his victim be- 
fore him. (d) The room was uncom- 
monly open to the admission of light. 
The face of the innocent sleeper was 
turned from the murderer, and the 
beams of the moon, resting on the 
gray locks of his aged temple, showed 
him where to strike. 

(e) The fatal blow is given! and 
the victim passes, without a struggle 
or a motion, from the repose of sleep 
to the repose of death. It is the assas- 
sin's purpose to make sure work ; and 
he yet plies the dagger, though it was 
[99] 



How to Improve the Memory 

obvious that life had been destroyed 
by the blow of the bludgeon. He 
even raises the aged arm, that he may 
not fail in his aim at the heart, and 
replaces it again over the wounds of 
the poniard! To finish the picture, 
he explores the wrist for the pulse! 
He feels for it, and ascertains that 
it beats no longer! It is accom- 
plished! The deed is done, (f) He 
retreats, retraces his steps to the win- 
dow, passes out through it as he came 
in, and escapes, (g) He has done 
the murder — no eye has seen him, no 
ear has heard him. The secret is his 
own, and is safe! 

(3) (a) Ah! gentlemen, that was 
a dreadful mistake. Such a secret 
can be safe nowhere. The whole cre- 
ation of God has neither nook nor 
corner, where the guilty can bestow it, 
and say that it is safe. Not to speak 
of that eye which glances through all 
[100] 



How to Memorize a Speech 

disguises, and beholds everything, as 
in the splendor of noon — such secrets 
of guilt are never safe from detection, 
even by man. 

True it is, generally speaking, that 
"murder will out." True it is, that 
Providence hath so ordained, and 
doth so govern things, that those who 
break the great law of heaven by 
shedding man's blood, seldom succeed 
in avoiding discovery; especially in a 
case exciting so much attention as 
this, discovery must and will come, 
sooner or later. A thousand eyes 
turn at once to explore every man, 
every thing, every circumstance, con- 
nected with the time and place; a 
thousand ears catch every whisper; a 
thousand excited minds intently dwell 
on the scene ; shedding all their light, 
and ready to kindle the slightest 
circumstance into a blaze of dis- 
covery. 

[101] 



How to Improve the Memory 

Meantime, the guilty soul cannot 
keep its own secret. 

(b) It is false itself; or rather, it 
feels an irresistible impulse of con- 
science to be true to itself: it labors 
under its guilty possession, and knows 
not what to do with it. The human 
heart was not made for the residence 
of such an inhabitant; it finds itself 
preyed on by a torment which it dares 
not acknowledge to God or man. A 
vulture is devouring it, and it asks no 
sympathy or assistance, either from 
heaven or earth. 

The secret which the murderer pos- 
sesses soon comes to possess him. 
And, like the evil spirits of which 
we read, it overcomes him, and leads 
him whithersoever it will. He feels 
it beating at his heart, rising to his 
throat, and demanding disclosure. He 
thinks the whole world sees it in his 
face, reads it in his eyes, and almost 
[102] 



How to Memorize a Speech 

hears its workings in the very silence 
of his thoughts, (c) It has become 
his master. It betrays his discretion, 
it breaks down his courage, it con- 
quers his prudence. When suspicions 
from without begin to embarrass him, 
and the net of circumstances to en- 
tangle him, the fatal secret struggles 
with still greater violence to break 
forth. It must be confessed, it will 
be confessed ; there is no refuge from 
confession but suicide, and suicide is 
confession. 

COMMENT 

It should be noted that the speech 
divides nicely into three divisions, 
opening, body, and conclusion. The 
opening states why the advocate ap- 
pears in the case, and what kind of a 
case it is. The body deals with a 
description of the murdered man, the 
manner in which the assassin gains 
[103] 



How to Improve the Memory 

access to the house, how he reaches 
his victim, the state of the room as 
the murderer enters it, and the con- 
dition in which he beholds the man 
whom he has determined to deprive of 
his life. It also describes the murder, 
explains how the murderer escapes 
from the scene of his crime, and tells 
what the criminal thinks regarding 
the probability of his being called 
upon to answer for his transgression. 
The conclusion shows how fallacious 
were the hopes of the assassin regard- 
ing his escape, describes his mental 
torture, and shows how murder, in the 
majority of cases, cannot be hidden 
from the eyes of man. 

By means of sequence, all these 
facts may be impressed upon the 
mind, and being thus arranged in a 
natural and logical manner, they will 
flow from the mind consecutively and 
continuously whenever it is desired to 
[104] 



How to Memorize a Speech 

repeat the speech. When memorizing 
a speech it is always advisable to re- 
duce it to a mere skeleton, a frame- 
work, and impress the mind with the 
thoughts before attempting to learn 
the words which are to express them. 
We should bear in mind that the 
words are only symbols, that they 
stand for something other than 
themselves, and that this other, the 
thought, is what we should look for, 
and unless we grasp the thought, the 
words themselves w T ill not remain long 
with us. Of course, we must study 
words so that we may see the thought, 
in order that we may know their 
meaning and significance, but we 
should never study words for the 
sake of remembering words. If we 
did so, the words would only cum- 
ber the memory to the exclusion of 
thoughts, and make of the mind a 
receptacle of useless material things 
[105] 



How to Improve the Memory 

instead of making it the abode of 
immortal spiritual creatures. 

Once more the student is admon- 
ished to look for the soul of the dis- 
course, the thing that gives it life, the 
thought ; to arrange all thoughts in 
a sequence, and not to bother about 
the words in which they are framed. 



[106] 



LESSON IX 

PARAPHRASING AS AN AID TO 
MEMORY 

PARAPHRASING is one of the 
-*■ best means of strengthening the 
memory and building up the mental 
faculties because of the necessity of 
thoroughly understanding a subject 
before it can be paraphrased. It is 
essential that the thought contained 
in words should be fully discovered 
and laid bare before it can be re- 
clothed in one's own language, and 
this entails on the paraphraser a lot 
of digging for the thought, a con- 
centration of the thinking powers, 
and close attention to the matter to 
be paraphrased in order that all the 
essential points may be seen and re- 
produced. After the subject has been 

[107] 



How to Improve the Memory 

keenly analyzed, all the points or 
facts should be systematically ar- 
ranged, all contrasts, appositions and 
series noted, and a complete frame- 
work constructed, and then it will be 
found that such a clear understand- 
ing will be possessed of the matter 
that is to be paraphrased that the 
words to convey the thoughts will 
flow freely. All that is necessary is 
to hold on to the idea, to keep the 
thought clearly before the mind, and 
the words to convey it will spontane- 
ously appear. Paraphrasing makes 
a careful reader or observer, and, if 
you remember, stress has, in several 
of these lessons, been placed upon the 
prime necessity of paying attention to 
things in order that they may be im- 
pressed upon the mind ; and in the sec- 
ond place, it trains the student to keep 
ever before him, while the mind is in 
operation, his object, thought, or 
[108] 



Paraphrasing as an Aid to Memory 

theme, in order that he may repro- 
duce from the chambers of memory 
all that he has stored there that per- 
tains to the subject in hand. We will 
get down to practical work by para- 
phrasing some extracts from Ralph 
Waldo Emerson's oration, The 
American Scholar, delivered at 
Cambridge, Mass., August 31, 1837. 

BOOKS 

(1) The theory of books is noble. The 
scholar of the first age received into him 
the world around; brooded thereon; gave it 
the new arrangement of his own mind and 
uttered it again. It came into him, life; it 
went out from him, truth. It came to him, 
short-lived actions; it went out from him, 
immortal thoughts. It came to him, business ; 
it went from him, poetry. It was dead fact; 
now, it is quick thought. It can stand and 
it can go. It now endures, it now flies, it 
now inspires. Precisely in proportion to the 
depth of mind from which it issued, so high 
does it soar, so long does it sing. 

[109] 



How to Improve the Memory 

The idea concerning the making of 
books is both romantic and grand. 
The first thinker looked out upon 
the world around him and beheld its 
many wonders. He saw the towering 
mountains, the deep vales, the broad 
plains; he heard the sighing of the 
winds, the rush of waters, and the 
peals of thunder; he beheld the ma- 
jestic sun by day and the placid moon 
by night; the lightning, tearing its 
pathway through the firmament, 
thrilled his soul; the myriad of stars 
filled him with wonder; and Nature, 
Avith her many tongues, spoke to him 
her miraculous language. All these 
things he pondered upon; communed 
with them in silence ; dreamed of them 
until they became a part of his being ; 
set them in the order in which they 
most appealed to him and gave ex- 
pression to them in his own way. He 
gazed upon the mountain, a vast 
[110] 



Paraphrasing as an Aid to Memory 

mound of rock and earth, and its 
material aspect passing from his men- 
tal vision he beheld its spiritual form 
and wondered at the forces that cre- 
ated it; the voice of the wind, the 
sigh of the tree, the song of the bird, 
the light of the stars, all spoke to 
him in plaintive tones and caused him 
to open his heart to their several 
voices; the green of the grass, the 
bright colors of the flowers, the gor- 
geous arch of the bow set upon the 
face of heaven caused him to ponder 
as to the origin of their beauties. All 
these things were evidences of life, 
it is true, but they were without the 
power of continued existence until 
they had become a part of man, en- 
tered his mind, and been transferred 
into thought. The mountain, the dale, 
the plain, the river, the stars, were 
all facts, but as soon as an under- 
standing of them entered the soul 
[111] 



How to Improve the Memory 

of man they became spirits of 
eternity through being converted 
into thoughts. The strength of the 
thought, its ability to live, its power 
to affect, depended absolutely upon 
the depth, force, and continuity of 
observation which was bestowed upon 
the original objects before their spir- 
itual aspects were noted by man. 

(2) Or, I might say, it depends on how 
far the process had gone of transmuting life 
into truth. In proportion to the complete- 
ness of the distillation, so will the purity and 
imperishableness of the product be. But 
none is quite perfect. As no air pump can 
by any means make a perfect vacuum, so 
neither can any artist entirely exclude the 
conventional, the local, the perishable from 
his book, or write a book of pure thought, 
that shall be as efficient, in all respects, to a 
remote posterity ^ as to contemporaries, or 
rather to the second age. Each age, it is 
found, must write its own books; or rather, 
each generation for the next succeeding. The 
books of an older period will not fit this. 
[112] 



Paraphrasing as an Aid to Memory 

In other words, the power of man 
to reproduce in the shape of thought 
what he beholds in the form of nature 
depends on the depth and power of 
his observation, on his ability to look 
into causes and find out what pro- 
duces effects. The more he is able to 
do this, the greater his ability to rea- 
son, the more substantial and lasting 
will be his conclusions. Nothing in 
this life is absolutely correct; we 
are incapable of tracing a perfectly 
straight line or doing anything that 
might not be improved upon, conse- 
quently it is impossible for an author 
to produce a book that is free from 
error, or one that will last for all ages. 
Books, like all things pertaining to 
man, are best suited for the era in 
which they were written. It has been 
demonstrated that books of a past 
generation are no more suited to the 
people of the present period than are 
[113] 



How to Improve the Memory 

the clothes of our ancestors becoming 
to us. They were all right in their 
time, but are now out of date, and 
are only useful as chroniclers of the 
past. 

(3) Yet here arises a grave mischief. The 
sacredness which attaches to the act of crea- 
tion — the act of thought — is transferred to 
the record. The poet chanting, was felt to be 
a divine man: henceforth the chant is divine 
also. The writer was a just and wise spirit: 
henceforward it is settled, the book is per- 
fect; as love of the hero corrupts into wor- 
ship of his statue. Instantly the book be- 
comes noxious: the guide is a tyrant. The 
sluggish and perverted mind of the multitude, 
slow to open to the incursions of Reason, 
having once so opened, having once received 
this book, stands upon it and makes an outcry 
if it is disparaged. Colleges are built on it. 
Books are written on it by thinkers, not by 
Man Thinking; by men of talent, that is, who 
start wrong, who set out from accepted dog- 
mas, not from their own sight of principles. 
Meek young men grow up in libraries, believ- 

[114] 



Paraphrasing as an Aid to Memory 

ing it their duty to accept the views which 
Cicero, w T hich Locke, which Bacon have given, 
forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were 
only young men in libraries when they wrote 
these books. 

Here we meet with a serious draw- 
back, a blind worship of all that is 
ancient. Whenever a grand and noble 
thought is expressed in words, picture, 
or marble, we are apt to lose sight of 
the divinity of the utterance and look 
upon the poet, painter, or sculptor as 
being divine, and bow down to and 
worship the product, the created, in- 
stead of the thought, the creator. 
This is the grave mischief which arises 
from a blind clinging to the fact, a 
tying of ourselves to the productions 
of past ages instead of creating for 
ourselves. Whenever we look upon a 
book as being perfect, whenever we 
blindly cling to it and refuse to go 
further, that book is a menace to our 
[115] 



How to Improve the Memory 

mental liberty and becomes a hin- 
drance instead of a help. Those who 
fasten themselves to such a book, see 
nothing of value anywhere but in that 
book, become bigots and surrender up 
their independence of thought. Col- 
leges have been built upon books of 
which the thoughts contained therein 
were as dead as the men who gave 
utterance to them. Other books are 
written upon these books by book- 
readers and not by communers with 
Nature; and thus, instead of a voice 
speaking directly to us, we have 
nothing but echoes that repeat the 
thoughts of those who have spoken and 
passed away. In this manner many 
make a poor beginning through sur- 
rendering themselves to the doctrines 
or systems of others instead of laying 
hold of the everlasting principles of 
thought which live within the souls of 
men, the expressing of which denotes 
[116] 



Paraphrasing as an Aid to Memory 

the individuality of the thinker. Men 
blindly accept the doctrines as ex- 
pounded by Cicero, Locke, and 
Bacon, and lose sight of the fact that 
these very men whom they delight in 
quoting were at one time young 
men pouring over the productions of 
earlier ages. They were men, with 
the faults and weaknesses of men, and 
yet they are placed by many upon 
pedestals and worshiped almost as 
gods. Under such circumstances the 
productions of these men are injuri- 
ous instead of beneficial. 

(4) Hence, instead of Man Thinking, we 
have the bookworm. Hence, the book-learned 
class who value books, as such ; not as related 
to nature and the human constitution, but as 
making a sort of Third Estate with the world 
and the soul. Hence, the restorers of read- 
ings, the emendators, the bibliomaniacs of all 
degrees. 

Instead of an active soul, an origi- 
nal thinker, we have the eater of 
[117] 



How to Improve the Memory 

books, the devourer of other men's 
productions, the man who loves books 
because they are books and not for the 
matter they contain. Such men set 
books between themselves and Nature, 
make a barrier of them, as it were, 
preventing their gazing out into the 
world and seeing the beauties and 
wonders thereof. From this same 
source come the men who delight to 
twist and turn the writings of famous 
authors, the men who come forward 
with new readings and interpreta- 
tions, the men who can tell you the 
life and history of books, the date of 
their first issue, the names of the pub- 
lishers, the styles of binding, etc., but 
who never have an original thought 
to utter. It were better books had 
not come down to us than to exist 
merely to fetter our minds and 
dwarf our souls by destroying our 
individuality. 

[118] 



Paraphrasing as an Aid to Memory 

X. B. — It will repay the student to 
read carefully the entire address, 
The American Scholar, and to par- 
aphrase a portion of it from time to 
time until the address has thus been 
thoroughly studied. 



[119] 



LESSON X 

HOW TO CONTROL THOUGHT 

"DEFORE considering how thought 
-L * may be controlled let us fully un- 
derstand what thought is. In the first 
place, it is, in the sense in which it 
is here used, the power of thinking. 
It is the exercise of the faculty that 
enables us to compare, to contrast one 
thing with another, such as differen- 
tiating between right and wrong; the 
power of arguing from premises 
and drawing conclusions from the 
argument. 

In order to be able to think, we 
must have knowledge; in order that 
knowledge may be of use, we must 
be able to conceive and apply it; in 
order that it may be so conceived and 
[120] 



How to Control Thought 

so applied, we must possess judg- 
ment — the power of reasoning. Thus 
we have come back to our first defini- 
tion of the word thought, the power 
of thinking. 

The thought faculty possesses three 
attributes or elements: (1) Concep- 
tion, the ability to see with the mind ; 
the faculty or mental power of con- 
ceiving so as to make known to the 
understanding ; the ability to compare 
objects and arraign them for consid- 
eration. (2) Judgment, the ability 
to compare conceptions; power to 
choose between two or more things. 
(3) Reasoning, the capability of com- 
paring judgments; ability to weigh 
one thing against another. 

Thus it will be seen that we must 
have the powers of conception, judg- 
ment, and reason before w T e will be 
able to think; consequently, the more 
these elements of the thought faculty 
[121] 



How to Improve the Memory 

are developed, the stronger will be the 
power of thought. 

Conception may be strengthened by 
comparing objects, noticing the dif- 
ference between horses, dogs, houses, 
streets, fields, and men. If one would 
have a good memory, one must not 
walk about aimlessly, he must observe 
things, and the only way in which one 
can learn to conceive is by paying 
attention. You must look in order 
that you may see, because if your 
eye rests upon an object and your 
thought does not go with the eye, the 
object is not seen. Idiots roam from 
place to place, their gaze wanders 
from object to object, but because 
they lack the power of conception, 
they also lack that of memory. There- 
fore, if you would learn to control 
your thoughts, you must first learn 
how to give birth to them, and this 
can only be done by exercising the 

[122] 



How to Control Thought 

power of conception, the first element 
of the thought faculty. 

The best way to develop conception 
is to note things as they appear to 
you, study them to see what they 
possess that has attracted your atten- 
tion to them, compare their attributes 
or elements. In fact, give birth to 
a thought by bringing tw r o objects or 
elements together. This is what is 
meant by the word conception. 

Judgment means a comparison of 
the objects you have conceived, a 
weighing of thing against thing, of 
thought against thought. You can- 
not weigh one thing against another 
until you have at least two things, and 
you cannot possess two things unless 
they exist to you, consequently you 
must be able to conceive before you 
are capable of judging. 

Reason is the mental faculty that 
enables us to discern the difference 
[123] 



How to Improve the Memory 

between real and imaginary things, 
distinguish between right and wrong, 
good and bad, just and unjust. In its 
fullness, it means the mental nature 
of man. It is one of the great posses- 
sions of man that distinguish him 
from the brute; it is the rational na- 
ture of the human animal as con- 
trasted with the intelligence of the 
brute. 

In the second place, thinking is the 
ability to dwell upon objects or 
thoughts, to examine them closely, to 
hold on to them firmly, to brood over 
them until they are thoroughly per- 
ceived and understood. It is this sec- 
ond aspect of thinking that should be 
considered carefully by all who 
would improve the memory, because 
until the faculty of hovering over a 
thought, or dwelling upon a subject, 
is mastered, it will be impossible to 
acquire a good memory. 
[124] 



How to Control Thought 

This hovering over a thought should 
be practiced faithfully. When a name 
is heard for the first time, it should 
be repeatedly mentally, and wherever 
it can be done with propriety, it 
should be repeated orally. On being 
presented to a stranger, it is a good 
plan to repeat the name after the in- 
troducer, and then to take an instan- 
taneous mental picture of the features 
of the person, at the same time asso- 
ciating the face and the name. Dur- 
ing the conversation, make an oppor- 
tunity to speak the name in address- 
ing the party, and if these suggestions 
are followed, there should be no dif- 
ficulty experienced in recalling both 
name and face. Look closely at mat- 
ter that you read, gaze through the 
words upon the thought, weigh it, 
consider it carefully, lay hold of it 
and place it in the storehouse of mem- 
ory, there to repose until you desire 
[125] 



How to Improve the Memory 

to call it forth. In reading a book, 
note the theme or story and put it 
orderly away in the keeping of mem- 
ory. Be careful not to jumble it up; 
retain the order of the developing of 
the theme or the telling of the story, 
lay hold of the sequence, and it will 
then be easier to recall the details. 
In memorizing a speech, be particu- 
lar to follow closely the order of its 
arrangement, the divisions of open- 
ing, body, and conclusion. System- 
atically arrange all that belongs in 
the opening and carefully consider 
the points the speaker produces or 
the facts he states. In the body of 
the speech judge his argument, cen- 
sure or approve the picture he paints 
or the story he narrates. In the con- 
clusion of the speech examine closely 
his deductions from the arguments on 
the points or the application of the 
picture or the story. By thus laying 
[126] 



How to Control Thought 

hold of the framework it will be a sim- 
ple matter to retain the details and 
clothe the intellectual skeleton with 
words when it is desired to give 
utterance to the speech. 

Thought should be conserved. 
Much thought energy is wasted 
through not being properly directed. 
By this it is meant that its forces 
are scattered, not focused with all 
their power upon the object or idea. 
As a tiny flame, focused upon a plate 
of steel by means of a blow-pipe, will 
cut through it as a knife cuts through 
a piece of cheese, so will thought, con- 
centrated upon an object or a passage 
of literature, cut through what would 
make either obscure and lay all bare 
to the understanding. Mental con- 
trol is what makes the masterful man 
or woman, and this mastery over the 
mind can be secured by practice. Do 
not permit your mind to wander, but 

[127] 



How to Improve the Memory 

send it in the direction you wish it to 
go, and hold it there until it has dis- 
cerned the object, examined the face, 
or found the meaning. Compel it to 
obey, make it work, keep it active 
when on duty, but give it frequent 
periods of rest. The only way to 
build up the mental faculties is by 
using them, but care must be exer- 
cised to make this use judicious, be- 
cause it is easier to tear down than 
it is to build up, and many memories 
are ruined through being abused or 
overworked ; therefore, the mental 
powers should not be taxed beyond 
their strength; they should not be 
compelled to work until they are tired 
out, but should be rested frequently. 
The mind should not be burdened 
with a mass of words. The brain can 
only hold a certain amount, and un- 
less matters that are not to be used 
immediately are stowed away in the 
[128] 



How to Control Thought 

inner passages of the brain, there to 
repose until they are needed, there 
will be no room close at hand for 
things which the mind desires to lay 
hold of at short notice. The brain is 
like a chest of many drawers, which, 
if systematically packed, will hold 
much, and the contents may be read- 
ily found when wanted ; but if thrown 
in indiscriminately, they will hold but 
little, and that little, being in con- 
fusion, will require considerable time 
for sorting before it can be of avail. 
System means much to the memory; 
therefore make use of Sequence when- 
ever you desire to remember faces, 
figures, or thoughts. Arrange all 
things in proper order before putting 
them away in the charge of memory, 
and then as soon as you lay hold of 
one thing of the series, all the mem- 
bers will come forth in their proper 
order. It is impossible to overempha- 
[129] 



How to Improve the Memory 

— _ 

size this matter of systematizing, not- 
ing and examining all things that one 
desires to remember, because only by 
this means can an object or a thought 
be clearly perceived, and as percep- 
tion is the first requisite to memory, 
particular attention should be paid 
to it. 

The necessity of getting to the root 
of things, of examining objects care- 
fully, of laying hold of the thought, 
is again strongly emphasized, and this 
necessity must be complied with be- 
fore one can have a good memory. A 
strong, keen, perceptive, and reten- 
tive memory may be had by any one 
who possesses intelligence, but such 
a memory, remember, can be obtained 
only by labor. Therefore, if you de- 
sire to improve your memory, work 
diligently along the lines here set 
forth for j^our guidance. 

THE END 



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